Cable clamp



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Sept. 2, 1952 Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITED A STATES PATENT'forties f signor to The Ontario Paper v-Company Limited, Thorold, Ontario, Canada aplicador-africana 5, 1949, Seimitsu-.119,580 1 claim. (01.24-1265 VMy invention relates to certain new and'zuseful improvements in rope or cable'clamps'.

The object of my invention is to provide for a simple and inexpensive means whereby a rope or wire cable may be attached to a motive force without the use of clamps, bolts, etc., the construction and arrangement being such that the grip on the rope or cable is increased as the pull is increased. My invention is of particular application to the lifting and transporting of bundles of logs in the bush but it will be understood that it is equally adaptable to the lifting of other types of objects. In eiect my device is of the type employing a supporting means for a slidable member, substantially ovate in shape, having a groove on its periphery adapted to receive a bight of rope, and cooperating with a pair of clamping plates to exert a wedging force on the bight. This, it is to be noted, is an irnportant feature of my invention, as it dispenses entirely with any necessity of threading the rope or cable through any internal parts. As soon as an upward, lifting force is exerted on my lifting device, the weight of the load causes the member about whose periphery they bight has been attached, to move downwardly with respect to the rest of the device and cause the bight to be firmly gripped between the periphery of such member and the clamping plates above mentioned. A wedging action is thus provided which increases in effect the more the load is increased.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the wedging action of a rope clamp will be automatically released as soon as the lifting force is removed from the clamp or, in other words, as soon as the load carried by the device has been deposited in the desired position.

A further object of my invention is to provide a rope clamp of the type described which is constructed entirely of external design, there being no closed parts which have to be removed for cleaning or greasing.

With the above purposes in mind, my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front View of a rope or cable clamp constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

In the cable clamping device herein described and illustratedin the drawinga l is-a back plate provided with a suitable aperture l2 by means of which a hoisting cable operated from a crane, winch or other hoisting mechanism can be attached. Secured to the plate I by bolts 3 and 3a. and turnable about said bolts is a pair of clamping plates 4 and 4a each having a grooved edge as shown at 5. Between the pair of rope or cable clamping plates 4 and 4a is a wedge plate 6 of substantially ovate shape held in slidable engagement with plate l by bolts 'I and 8 within the limits of slots 9 and I0 respectively.

The ovate shaped wedge plate 6 is provided on its periphery with a groove II which, with grooves 5 previously referred to are made to suitable dimensions for the size of rope or cable desired to be used. Anchored to back plate I by bolt I2 or any other suitable means is one end of a tension spring I3, its other extremity being secured to bolt 1, the said spring being of such strength as normally to raise wedge plate 6 free from clamping plates 4 and 4a.

Attached to plate 4 by bolt I4 and turnable thereupon is a latch plate I5 suitably notched to receive .the body of bolt I6 which is screwed into clamping plate 4a. Latch plate I5 is provided with a clearance I1 so as to avoid fouling with wedge plate 6 and thereby impeding movement thereof.

In the operation of my device the plate I5 is irst unlatched from bolt I6 whereupon clamping plate 4a, is turned about bolt 3a away from wedge plate 6. Similarly clamping plate 4 with its latch plate I5 is turned about bolt 3 away from wedge plate 6. A bight is then made at any convenient position in the rope o-r cable I8 to which the load is attached and placed over the periphery of the grooved Wedge plate 6. Clamping plates 4 and 4a are then swung back into place and secured by bringing latch plate I5 into position over the head of bolt I6. As the hoisting eifort is applied the weight of the load forces the ovate shaped central wedge plate 6 downward and in so doing securely clamps the rope or cable between the grooves of wedge plate 6 and plates 4 and 4a, at the same time elongating the tension spring I3. The greater the load, the greater, it is obvious, will be the clampingeifect. As soon as the vertical hoisting effort is released from back plate I spring I3 operates to raise the wedge plate 6 and so to release the cable vwhich may then be removed after unlatching and swinging grooved pl-ates 4 and 4a away from wedge plate 6.

The advantages of a rope or cable clamp constructed in accordance with my invention will be readily perceived and although a preferred embodiment of my device is herein illustrated and described, it is to be understood that changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made which will fall within the scope of my invention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention is:

A cable clamp comprising a substantially reotangular shaped back plate, an ovate shaped plate having its head end slidably mounted upon the central portion of one face of the back plate and having a groove within its edge for the reception of a cable bight, a pair of triangular clamping plates positioned upon the corner portions of the face of the back plate adjacent to the tail portion of the ovate plate and having grooved edges lying substantially parallel to the adjacent grooved edges of the tail portion of the ovate plate, said triangular plates being pivotly secured to the back plate, the pivotal points of the triangular plates being in alignment with 4 the plane passing through the maximum Width of the head portion of the ovate plate, a stud element upon the outer face of the lower portion of one of the triangular plates, and a latch member pivoted to the lower portion of the outer face of the other triangular plate and engageable with the stud member.

' THEODORE SUMMERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED vSI'AI'ES PATENTS Number Name Date 593,053 Kieitz Nov. 2, 1897 867,036 Hanford Sept. 24, 1907 2,540,887 Hyatt Feb. 6, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 351,606 Germany Apr. 8, 1922 

